MAKE WISHES COME TRUE WITH “SILVER BELLS” CHRISTMAS CONCERT AT THE PEN 2008

“SILVER BELLS”
SILVER ANNIVERSARY MARKS CHRISTMAS CONCERT AT THE PEN 2008
DECEMBER 13, 2008

As that old Christmas standard goes “It’s the most joyous time of the year”, and that feeling of joy is never better heralded than when the first soaring overtures of “SILVER BELLS, Christmas Concert at the Pen” ring out in the lofty Lobby of The Peninsula Manila which this year marks the silver anniversary of this much-loved holiday season event that doubles as the hotel’s gift to the community.

Fittingly, flying in from Milan specifically to conduct the concert that this year is slated for December 13 from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM is Maestro Ruggero Barbieri who has been weaving his baton at the hugely popular “Christmas Concert at the Pen” since December 1997 – just a year after taking up his appointment as Music Director and Principal Guest Conductor of the Philppine Philharmonic Orchestra.

Recalls Maestro Barbieri: “At the beginning, I was very hesitant because of the venue which at first I thought was inappropriate for a traditional concert. But I was immediately captivated by the magical atmosphere that the concert itself creates so wonderfully announcing that its Christmas time in Manila.”

This year the concert – which will feature much loved music from classical favorites to Yuletide standards culminating with the glorious “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah – will showcase a galaxy of world-class Filipino performers comprising the internationally-lauded Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), critically-acclaimed sopranos Rachelle Gerodias and Camille Lopez-Molina, renowned Germany-based tenor Abdul Candao and multi award-winning University of the Philippines Concert Chorus (UPCC).

Making the event possible as co-sponsors are The Peninsula Manila and Stores Specialists, Inc. (SSI) which is the pioneering purveyor of many famous American, British and European luxury designer labels in the Philippines. Another co-sponsor is the widely popular magazine, Philippine Tatler, (whose publisher Irene Martel Francisco has also been a mainstay of this event in recent years) and the unfailingly cooperative Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) that sees events like this as an extension of its brief to bring music to a wider audience.

Since Christmas is a time of giving, especially when it comes to children, The Peninsula Manila Peninsula has decided to break from tradition and this year will charge all concertgoers PHP490+++ (consumable with selections from a special merienda menu), with 50 percent of the proceeds going to Make-A-Wish Foundation® which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses.

The charity is the largest wish-granting organization in the world, with offices in 30 countries on five continents. With the help of generous donors and more than 25,000 volunteers, Make-A-Wish Foundation® has granted more than 130,000 wishes to children around the world since 1980.

“The Peninsula Manila is proud to support Make-A-Wish Foundation®,” said Jonathan H. Crook, General Manager of The Peninsula Manila. “We have had a long relationship with Make-A-Wish Foundation® but wanted to continue and expand this tradition of charitable giving at our hotel that would involve our staff, guests and visitors. The Christmas Concert at The Pen – as well as the Peninsula-wide Trees of Hope campaign – is designed to add beauty to the hotel both musically, physically and spiritually, and to enrich the lives of the children touched by the Make-A-Wish Foundation® this Christmas season.”

Throughout its 25-year-history, “Christmas Concert at the Pen” has missed only one performance and this was a result of the events that followed September 11th 2001. But in 2003, Stores Specialists Inc. President Nedy Tantoco approached David Batchelor who was then general manager of The Peninsula Manila and persuaded him to revive the landmark Christmas event with the PPO performing. SSI has co-sponsored the concert ever since. (As a Board of Trustees of the CCP, Ms. Tantoco’s special mission is the PPO, in particular the drive to equip the orchestra with new instruments.)

So in its 25th anniversary year, “SILVER BELLS, Christmas Concert at The Pen” will serve the dual purpose of accentuating the joy of the festive season with the music of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and sharing its blessings with the wards of Make-A-Wish Foundation® .

As parting words of advice, Peninsula Manila General Manager Jonathan H. Crook adds: “Since the concert is quite popular, it would be wise to come early to secure a good seat”.